Content landscape change to be exponential through AI in next 24 months: YouTube India MD at HPS centenary

HYDERABAD: Hyderabad Public School's (HPS) StartX Summit witnessed another enriching day of discussions on Tuesday as part of its centenary celebrations. The day kicked off with a panel discussion on 'Navigating the Creator Economy', featuring YouTube India managing director Ishan Chatterjee, Tamada Media co-founder Rahul Tamada, Annapurna Studios CEO

Supriya Yarlagadda, actor-producer Rana Daggubati, director Nag Ashwin and Former GenAI product manager at Meta Satish Mummareddy.

During the discussion Ishan emphasised the democratisation of creative arts through platforms like YouTube, enabling anyone to be a creator with implications for mainstream media and the creator economy. He predicted an "exponential and exciting change" in the content landscape within 24 months fueled by Gen-AI, with hyper-localisation and increased access to languages and genres.

Rana Daggubati stressed the importance of originality and authentic storytelling for creators. He highlighted the need for continuous learning and unlearning in the face of rapid change, advocating for embracing a mindset of adaptability and chasing the right skillset.

Satish Mummareddy opined that "mainstream creators will be superpowers" with high-quality, accessible content, making monetisation easier. He also predicted short-form content as the future, with loyalty and constant engagement driving monetisation.

Ashwin expressed his desire to reach wider audiences beyond Bollywood, aiming for global spaces like Bangladesh. He emphasised the importance of building an audience set, even if niche, as monetisation becomes easier with a dedicated community.

Day 2 also witnessed three startups – Hit Wicket, Panoplia, and Iris – securing a total of Rs 4.9 crore in funding from alumni investors like Ashish Bajaj (eLear Solutions CEO) and Sailesh Sigatapu (Anthill Ventures General Partner).

Cricket commentator and alumnus Harsha Bhogle inaugurated the 'World is my Oyster' leadership and grooming programme for future leaders. This programme aims to provide mentorship and guidance through large-scale alumni participation, with components like board room discussions and conflict management.Adding a touch of glamour, a display of luxury cars from Lamborghini, Porsche, and BMWs enthralled the audience with a powerful and classy performance.

The HPS learning zone offered participants diverse workshops on photography, music, filmmaking, mental health, gamification in education, and career paths in photography and filmmaking. A Youth Parliament further engaged students in active discussions.

The centenary celebration book reading segment saw over 80 students delve into a variety of literary worlds, from English and Hindi classics to Telugu, Urdu, Spanish, and French. This initiative aimed to instill a love for reading and cultivate understanding and respect for different cultures.

The HPS alumni sports reunion fostered friendly competition between alumni and students in various sports, while a staff reunion gala dinner with live music rounded off the day's festivities.